I've used the BMW OE rubber mats in my e34/e38/& e39...all of them had different "designs" but basically retain the same amount of melted snow run-off. But most of all, are designed to fit every nuance of the floor pan.
I've never used the "liners" but they do seem interesting...my only concern is if they remain as pliable as the rubber mats...or if they harden up when the temps deep below freezing for long periods of time.
But back to the BMW rubber mats designs...again, they may differ in looks, but they do take melted snow run-off into consideration and build-in ways to keep most of the water within the mat...by either isolating run off in little wells (like the e53 waffle design & the e39's design), or into the ruts within the design (like my e38 & e34 mats herringbone pattern)...or have the ridges that help keep your
heel and sole above the area that the snow is melting into (like Ricky's mats & the ones sold in the Parts Dept show room).
Usually the weakest area is around the accelerator pedal...but that can be contributed to shoe size & foot placement.
E38's herringbone rubber mat pattern
E39's rubber mat design
E34 rubber mat's design (w/special dam on front passenger side to keep water from running off onto carpet due to the anchor hole being lower than the rest of the mat
